


Four Times Murray Suspected and One Time He Knew

by seraphina_snape



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-31
Updated: 2010-12-31
Packaged: 2017-10-14 06:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four times Murray suspected Nick and Cody were lovers, and one time he knew for sure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Times Murray Suspected and One Time He Knew

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 8th smallfandomfest on LJ.

-one-

Gina Marina Curtis was the sort of client they didn’t have very often. She was incredibly rich and incredibly generous. Murray was rather confident that they would find Princess – Gina Marina’s precious little Chihuahua – without too much trouble. He was already compiling lists in his head of where to check for the dog first – all the animal shelters in the area and all vet’s offices were a given.

Gina Marina had meanwhile attached herself to Cody’s side. She hung on his arm with one hand and used her other hand to dab at her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief.

"You are going to find her quickly though, aren’t you, Mister Allen?"

Cody smiled at her. "Call me Cody, Ms Curtis. And I’m sure she’ll turn up in no time."

"Then you’ll have to call me Gina Marina, Cody," she said, giving him a watery smile. "Oh, I’m sorry I’m such a mess. It’s just that I can’t stand the thought of Princess out there in the cold all alone."

Murray frowned. It was the middle of August. Hardly cold, especially not for a dog with a healthy coat of fur. Then again, Chihuahuas were not the hairiest breed of dog, but the weather wasn’t a concern. Murray was actually more worried about dog catchers taking Princess to be put down before they could get to her. Apparently, some dogs were put down despite wearing name tags with their owner’s address on the back.

"I’m sure she’ll be fine, Gina Marina," Cody said, giving her a sort of awkward pat on the arm that was still wrapped around his own.

"Oh, I don’t know, Cody. You might have to stay with me tonight. I’m not sure I can stand to be alone right now."

"Um," Cody said.

Suddenly, Gina Marina screamed and jumped away from Cody, twisting to look at her back.

Murray, startled by her sudden outburst, nearly fell off the chair. Looking up, he saw Gina Marina glaring at Nick. One of her hands was holding her very wet, coffee-stained blouse away from her lower back.

Nick looked apologetic, but Murray could have sworn he saw a quick grin flash across his face a second before. "I’m so sorry, Gina Marina. I was just taking the cold pot down to the galley to throw it out and make a new one. I must have tripped over the carpet. Again, I’m so sorry."

He put an arm around Gina Marina’s shoulders and gently led her to the door. "Look, you really should get that to the dry cleaner’s as soon as possible or it’ll be ruined. We’ll call you once we find Princess, all right?"

Murray frowned. Nick closed the door after Gina Marina had left and gave Cody a look that Murray couldn’t interpret. He was also quite sure that Nick hadn’t tripped over anything. The silent conversation between Nick and Cody was still in full swing, so Murray wrote the whole thing off as ‘none of his business’ and went to print out a list of animal shelters in town.

 

-two-

"Look, you two can just go on," Nick said, absent-mindedly rubbing his back. "I don't want to keep you from having fun."

Cody hesitated. Hanging around the beginner slopes all day because Nick couldn't ski to save his life hadn't been much fun so far. Watching Nick fall on his backside more times in the last three hours than in the last three years didn’t count as fun in Murray’s book. It made him feel a little guilty for suggesting it in the first place.

"Are you sure, Nick?" Murray asked.

Nick rolled his eyes and made a move to cross his arms, but the sticks dangling from his wrists nearly took out Cody's eye. Nick let his arms fall back down and sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. I think I'll head over to the lodge and settle down with some coffee and the newest Rotor & Wing. You two go on and have fun."

"Well, if you're sure," Murray said. He was still a bit reluctant, but couldn’t help the wide grin slowly starting to spread over his face. And if he was really honest with himself, he was maybe a little bit proud that there was one sport he was better at than Nick.

Cody and Murray watched Nick dragging his skis through the snow. Once he'd reached the solid ground of the lodge's paved terrace, Nick struggled first with the sticks, then with the release clasp of his skis. Finally, he had both stowed away in the ski rack and trudged across the terrace in his ski boots.

Cody chuckled. "He looks worse on skis than he does in high heels."

Murray, smiling at Nick's antics, agreed. "Yeah." Then his brain caught up with what Cody had said and he turned to Cody, eyes wide. "High heels?" he squeaked.

A bout of panic flitted across Cody's face, then he sighed and clapped Murray's shoulder. "Don't ask, Murray. It's easier that way."

"Right," Murray said. "None of my business anyway."

But really? Once he'd heard the suggestion of Nick in high heels, there wasn't much he could do to _un_ think the implications.

-three-

Murray poked at his cereal distastefully. He didn't like it when his corn flakes got soggy, he liked them fresh and crunchy. Unfortunately he sometimes got lost in an article he was reading or a circuit board he was checking over and then he had a bowl full of soggy corn flakes. Usually he would simply hand the bowl over to Nick, who seemed to actually like soggy corn flakes.

But Nick wasn't up yet. He and Cody had been on a stakeout in front of their suspect's house until very late while Murray had poured over the man's IRS records. No leads yet, but Murray was confident that it was only a matter of time until they found something. And until then, Nick and Cody could rest up.

Murray pushed his bowl away and dragged the magazine he'd been reading closer. He could get back to his analysis after breakfast.

A good half hour later Murray was startled out of his reading by Nick who came bouncing up the stairs from the rear cabin.

"Hey, Murray. Up already?"

"Good morning, Nick. Yes, I didn't stay up as late as you and Cody, so it's really rather late for me. I should get dressed. Get back to work."

Nick nodded absently and headed down towards the galley. Murray heard him rummage through the fridge and a few cupboards.

Murray stretched, pulled his robe close around himself and headed towards his cabin. When he passed Nick in the galley, Nick looked up from where he was assembling breakfast on a tray and grinned at him.

"I'm heading back to bed, Murray. Unless we find anything concrete, we'll need to go back to Myer's house tonight, and I need more sleep for that."

Murray nodded agreeably, smiling at Nick's retreating back. Nick's breakfast choices were a little strange, maybe – honey, chocolate sauce, two pieces of cheesecake and a dish of peach slices – but who was he to judge?

 

-four-

Murray was captivated. Completely and utterly unable to draw his eyes away from the TV for even a second.

He gasped in shock as the unicorn was forced into the rolling sea. But thankfully it had all turned out well. Murray didn’t deal well with unhappy endings. He liked hopeful endings. And unicorns, he decided. He smiled.

Murray got up and reached for the light switch, but a small sound from Cody froze him in his tracks. Turning very carefully, Murray looked at Cody.

Cody and Nick had sat down in the corner, grumbling about having to watch a kid’s movie, but it had been Murray’s night to pick the movie and he was sure they’d secretly enjoyed it.

In the dim light of the TV, Murray could see Nick’s head resting on Cody’s shoulder. At some point during the movie, Nick must have fallen asleep, using Cody – who was holding remarkably still – as a makeshift pillow.

"Hang on a sec, Murray," Cody whispered. Without jostling Nick, he put the empty bowl of popcorn on the table and reached up to shake Nick’s shoulder. Only he didn’t shake it, exactly. From where Murray was standing, it looked more like he gently brushed his hand against Nick’s shoulder. Murray couldn’t fault him for that. Nick and Cody didn’t really react well to being woken abruptly. They didn’t come up swinging, but there was a sort of instant alert, a high-strung readiness that Murray sometimes envied them.

Nick blinked sleepily and nuzzled Cody’s shoulder. Murray cleared his throat and took off his glasses, pretending to look for a piece of fuzz obscuring his vision. When he put them back on, Nick and Cody were on their feet. Nick had a line on his face from the stitching of Cody’s shirt.

"Well," Murray said, stretching a little. "I’m kind of tired now, guys. I guess I’ll head to bed." He went to sleep with a smile on his face.

 

-five-

Murray ducked behind the nearest crate. A bullet tore into the crate only millimetres from his face. Splinters of wood flew at him. He felt a prick on his cheek, closely followed by a small trickle of blood.

"Murray!"

Nick was crouching behind an overturned workbench a few feet to his right. He had the kidnapped little girl in his arms.

"Cover me!" he called, throwing Murray his gun.

Murray nodded and laid down cover fire as Nick dashed across the empty space towards him. Once there, Nick handed over the terrified little girl and took back his gun. "We need to get out of here. Cody is probably running out of ammo and I don’t have much left either. I’ll cover you. Just make sure the little one gets home safe."

The rest of the fire fight passed in a haze of bullets and muzzle flashes. The little girl clung to his jacket with an iron grip, but that just made it easier to carry her. Murray held her close and tried to get out of the warehouse as fast as possible.

Flashing police lights greeted them outside the warehouse. Almost a dozen officers, led by Lieutenant Quinlan, ran past them into the warehouse. A female officer took the child off his arms and Murray stumbled along after Nick.

"Nick!"

Nick spun around. Cody was leaning against the warehouse entrance, looking exhausted.

"Cody! Are you okay?" Nick was by Cody’s side in a flash. One of his hands was on Cody’s chest, the other on his back.

Cody just gave him a tired smile. "I’m fine, Nick. Are you okay? Murray?"

"I’m fine," Murray said.

"You’re not fine, Cody, you’re bleeding!" Nick pulled his hand from Cody’s back and held it up. Blood stained his fingers. Murray gasped.

"It’s nothing, Nick. Really, it’s just a scratch."

"Oh, yeah?" Nick turned around. "We need a medic over here," he yelled at the two uniforms keeping an eye on the rescued girl. Cody waved them off and they went back to keeping the little girl distracted.

"Seriously, Nick, I’m okay. It’s just a scrape."

"You were shot, Cody. Shot!"

Cody put a placating hand on Nick’s cheek. "It’s nothing serious. We’ll slap a bandage on it and it’ll be healed up in two weeks."

Nick closed his eyes. "Cody..."

"Shh, Nick." Cody’s thumb caressed Nick’s cheek. "I’m fine. I’m alive. I’m not going anywhere."

"You’d better not," Nick mumbled, turning his face into Cody’s palm.

Murray half-turned away from the scene and studied the warehouse. He had a feeling Nick and Cody could use some privacy, even if it was the ‘open space, everyone can still see you’ pretend kind of privacy. So he diligently inspected the cracked windows and rusty steel fixtures he could see along the facade.

Nick, meanwhile, had clenched his fingers in the fabric of Cody’s shirt and pulled Cody close until they were literally nose to nose. "Promise me you’ll be fine."

Cody’s hands came up to cup Nick’s face. "I promise."

"Don’t ever scare me like that again, babe."

"I won’t," Cody said softly. Then he leaned in and kissed Nick.

Murray smiled broadly. He was quite sure that there wouldn’t have been as much tongue involved if Cody and Nick had been aware of just how much he could see of them out of the corner of his eyes.

Murray shrugged and, still smiling, headed for the Jimmy.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year!


End file.
